Integrated Justice Information Sharing: Critical Planning Issues

1. Integrated Justice Information Sharing: Critical Planning Issues David J. Roberts SEARCH Illinois Integrated Justice Information System Governing Board January 23, 2002

2. Integrated Systems Planning • Definitions---What is integration? • Within agency; • Between agencies; • Between jurisdictions (local/regional/state/federal/national). • The ability to access and share criticalinformation at key decision points throughout the justice enterprise.

3. Integration Functions • Querylocal, regional, statewide and national databases; • Push information to another agency based on actions taken within the originating agency; • Pull information from other systems for incorporation into the recipient agency system; • Publish information regarding people, cases, events and agency action; and • Subscribe to a notification service.

4. Integration Principles • Data should be captured at the originating point, rather that trying to reconstruct it down line; • Data should be captured once and used many times; • The integrated system should be driven by the operational systems of participating agencies; • Justice agencies should retain the right to design, operate and maintain systems to meet their own operational requirements; • Security and Privacy will be priorities in development of integration capabilities;

5. Integration Principles • Integration will build on current infrastructure and incorporate capabilities and functionality of existing information systems, where possible; • Because of the singular consequences of decision making throughout the justice enterprise, establishing and confirming the positive identity of the subject is crucial; and • Integration provides an important opportunity to analyze and reengineer fundamental business processes throughout the justice enterprise.

6. Organizing for Change • Developing a realistic and articulate definition and vision of integration; • Understand how existing systems and projects relate to this vision; • Establishing a governance structure; • Solid and effective strategic planning; • Understanding the host of organizational, technical, legal and policy issues surrounding integration; and • Recognize the long term management issues.

7. Defining the Scope of Integration • Criminal justice agencies include: • Law Enforcement; • Courts; • Prosecution; and • Corrections (including probation & parole). • Defense bar (public defender & private bar); • Social services, treatment providers, pre-trial, etc.; • Public access, notification, reporting, etc.

8. Local and State Responsibilities • Local • Systems that meet the day-to-day operational needs of the agencies involved; • Ability to share operational data between local agencies within a jurisdiction. • State • Build statewide information repositories/systems that support the operational needs of local and state users; • Build and support infrastructure that enables the automated sharing of information between jurisdictions;

9. Local and State Responsibilities • State (continued): • Develop and support standards consistent with national standards to enable sharing of information between local jurisdictions, to state systems and other states, as well as national systems; • Operate as a gateway to relevant national/Federal systems; • Mandate statewide coverage for critical systems, functions and capabilities; and • Provide leadership, collaboration and funding, where available and necessary.

10. Develop a Unified Vision of Integration • What is the vision of an integrated system that is driving your planning efforts? • Michigan: Create and maintain an accessible, and appropriately secured, information system on individuals and events for criminal justice and non-criminal justice users that supports effectiveadministration of the criminal justice system, publicand officer safety, and public policy decisions in a cost-effective manner within the state of Michigan. [http://www.Michigan-CJIS.org]

11. Illinois Vision • Create an integrated statewide justice information network to ensure that all public, private, and individual stakeholders have accurate, timely, and easily accessible information that they need, when and where they need it, to administer justice and enhance the safety and well-being of the people of Illinois.

12. Converting Mission to Objectives • Statement of operational requirements: • Every criminal justice agency shall be able to determine the correctional status (incarcerated, on parole, on probation, under community services or correctional supervision) within one minute, with status currency of 24 hours; • Every criminal justice agency shall be able to obtain the criminal history record of a person who has one, within one minute, with history currency of 24 hours; etc.

13. Operational requirements • Positive identification; • Generate warrants, building upon data provided by law enforcement; • Determining pending charges, bail status, pre-trial status statewide; • Investigative information/pointer system; • Subscription notification; • Case status; • Management, administrative, GIS, analysis capabilities.

14. Example of Operational Requirements • Web browser front-end for a super search of information regarding specific people: • Ability of agencies to conduct a super search that will identify a broad range of sources of information regarding specific people, with hot links to those sources, where appropriate. • Search should query and return results not only from justice agencies, but also from relevant non-justice agencies, identifying (for example) property records, health and education records, civil records, etc. Not the actual information, but link to more detailed data.

15. Strategic Planning for Integrated Systems • Develop a concise vision, relevant objectives, functional requirements, and measures of success; • Recruit executive sponsors who are committed and have a stake in the outcome of the project; • Involve users early in the project, maintain their involvement throughout, and respond to their needs; • Follow established planning principles, establish realistic expectations & interim project milestones---rule of 12’s; • Secure funding, on-going support and leadership; and • Hire and maintain competent, focused, and invested staff

16. Executive Sponsorship • Recognize the Importance of Effective Governance: • Understand the definitions you have developed; • Support the scope as defined; • Share the vision you have created; • Have the authority and responsibility to support the project in the short term and the long term; • Have a stake in the outcome of the effort?

17. Executive, Operational & Technical Bodies • Executive Planning Committee: • Agency directors with authority and responsibility to commit resources and establish priorities. • Operational Committees: • Representatives of state and local agencies and users who understand the operational needs. • Technical Committee: • To define the technical architecture and ensure compatibility with local/state/national systems.

18. Impediments to Integration • Technical obstacles: • Antiquated legacy systems and data; • Lack of standards and planning, which has led to duplicate and conflicting development; • Inadequate technical staff • insufficient number; • inadequately trained; • splintered.

19. Impediments to Integration • Operational impediments: • Inter-organizational turf issues; • Personal differences between agency administrators, staff and/or technical people; • Different ways of counting cases, clients, etc.

20. So What? • Defining integration and developing a vision for Illinois; • Developing operational requirements that translate the vision into tangible objectives; • Understanding how what we’re doing right now relates to the vision and objectives of integration; • Building an effective governance structure; • Developing a plan for moving forward.